Upholstery elements, for example for the interior furnishing of motor vehicles, generally consist of an elastic core whose surface is completely or partly covered by a covering, for instance of cloth, leather or similar, for protective and aesthetic purposes. Foamed plastics, preferably polyurethane, are in particular used as the core material, occasionally also vegetable or animal fibres bonded together. In order to ensure that the covering holds firmly to the core, anchorage elements enclosed by the core material are commonly used in the prior art to distribute stresses occurring due to force over a large area. The utility model DE 295 06 306 discloses an example of an anchorage element in the form of a profile which can be foamed into a core. The particular advantage of the described anchorage element lies in the fact that, with the exception of a network of fibres, it consists of polyurethane, so that it is far easier to recycle the upholstery material as a result of using a uniform material and avoiding metal parts. The anchorage elements are joined to the covering by fastening means, for example hooks, which pass through the foamed plastic which is frequently provided with recesses for this purpose.
The anchorage elements known in the prior art entail high expenditure when producing the upholstery, with the clamping of the covering and the anchorage elements and the positioning thereof in the foaming mould in particular being labour-intensive. Moreover, there is a permanent join between the core of the upholstery and the covering, so that it becomes far more difficult to replace the latter should it wear or for aesthetic reasons.